Category Archives: Latest News & Ramblings

Hey you, quit bumping your gums and pass the damn gravy already!!
Just kidding. We here at Possum Central thought we’d get you warmed up for your big holiday meal by heckling you ever so gently. It’s only because we love you almost as much as we love gravy. And believe me, that’s a lot of love.

Not ones to break with family tradition, your favorite Possums will celebrate our Annual Thanksgiving Show this Wednesday, November 27th, by doing what we do best; eating too much before the show and searching the deepest, darkest depths of our van’s center console for anything resembling a roll of Tums. And then rocking out for two long sets.

We are however, not completely immune to change, as we’ll be exiting the Twin Cities and heading a short distance south to the very friendly confines of Lexington, NC’s own High Rock Outfitters. The show starts promptly at 9:00 p.m. The cover is $5 (we think).

Oh, and did we mention that this show is officially part of the 2nd Annual North Carolina Music & Arts Festival?!? Starting tomorrow (Tuesday) night with HRO’s weekly jam session and followed by us on Wednesday, the bulk of the festival will take place at Edward C. Smith Civic Center in Lexington. The awesome Carolina-centric lineup includes Acoustic Syndicate, Big Daddy Love, Mipso, The Deluge, Woody Wood, The Broadcast, Dark Water Rising, The Billy Sea, Jeff Sipe Trio, The Honeycutters, Overmountain Men, Jon Scales Fourchestra, Skinny Velvet and more.

Wednesday’s show will be the last our last for 2013. We’ve had a great year of shows and met tons of wonderful folks. We can’t wait to see y’all again in 2014 when Possum Jenkins will celebrate our 10th birthday. In the event that you have actually read this far, click on this link to check out this awesome recording of our recent house show in Greensboro (yes, we did it again) by our buddy Dale Glenn.

After we finish the few remaining shows we have for 2013, Possum Jenkins is going to take an extended break from playing shows. It’s time for us to pull off the highway and hit the woodshed so we can work on making brand new original music, as well as perhaps delve a little more deeply into our own back catalog to put a fresh coat of paint on some older Possum favorites.

At this point, we do not have a definitive timetable for our return to the stage, but rest assured that we’ll be back in action in 2014, hopefully sounding better than ever and with a fistful of new tunes. Hell, we might even get a wild hair and record something while we’re at it.

Massive thanks to the entire Possum network of friends, fans and family that have supported us for nearly a decade. We love y’all more than words can tell and can’t wait to see you at the show.

Get those smart phones out and shoot the most awesomely weird/creative/colorful/hilarious version of the state of North Carolina with the PJ inside and you'll win the V.I.P. package to our HanesBrand Theatre show on Friday, September 27!!

Hey friends,
On Friday, September 27th, Winston-Salem’s HanesBrand Theatre at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Performing Arts will present An Evening with Possum Jenkins–Acoustic and Electric. Advance tickets are on sale now for $10 and can be purchased HERE!!

We’re so excited about this show that we’re offering y’all a chance to WIN a very special V.I.P. package through our very own Carolinacana PHOTO CONTEST!! The package includes two free tickets, a post-show meet & greet with the band and a Possum merch package.

On top of al that, the winner and one guest will have the chance to accompnay us to Our State Magazine headquarters in Greensboro, where we’ll be recording another acoustic performance for their new “Music In The Lobby” series. Click HERE to watch Chapel Hill’s Mandolin Orange perform at Our State.

Carolinacana Photo Contest Rules:
We’ve done some ocassional trivia contests, but this time, you’re actually going to have to do the tiniest amount of work to participate. Simply snap a photo of your own custom version of THE ABOVE PHOTO–a rather hastily arranged version of the Possum logo featuring the outline of the Tar Heel State with a big PJ inside (you can also view it on our Facebook page). Make it as funny/weird/colorful/whatever as you want. The more creative, the better.
-One entry per household.
–No gross or lewd pictures (or generally anything you wouldn’t be comfortable sharing on the web).
-People related to members of PJ may not enter.

Simply email your contest entry to thepossumjenkinsband(at)yahoo(dot)com. We’ll pick a favorite from the entires and announce the results next week. Two runners-up will receive a Possum t-shirt and CD of their choice.Deadline for entries is Sunday, September 15, at midnight.

A little background about the HanesBrand Theatre show…
A bunch of years ago, Possum Jenkins found its first roots in informal, late-night acoustic jams in front of a handful of friends. Shortly thereafter, we assembled a drum set, cranked up our amps and have more or less spent our almost 10 years together as very electric alt. country outfit, while typically only featuring acoustic tracks on our studio releases. While we’ve ocassionally been induced to perform sans amps (except for Jared), you could count the number of acoustic shows played by Possum on one hand.

Well, our very good friend Richard Emmett (formerly of The Garage) gave us a holler and asked us if we’d be interested in doing a show at one of Winton’s newest, coolest rooms and, by the way, could we make half of it acoustic? We thought that was a fine idea, so that’s the plan. We’ll start out with an acoustic first set, followed by an electric second set. We might even throw in some special guests for good measure.

Click HERE to watch Possum perform “Sally, Where’d You Get Your Liquor From?” acoustic during last fall’s Greensboro house show in Barry and Meredith Harrell’s living room.

So that’s pretty much it for this edition. Let’s see those photos!!
-PJ

We are practically giddy to tell you that tomorrow night, August 2nd, your favorite bunch of Possums will be taking the stage together for OUR 300TH SHOW TOGETHER!!! The show will take place at The Depot at Hillsbororough Station in lovely Hillsborough, NC. And did we mentioned the THE SHOW IS FREE?!? Well, it is.

We’d love nothing more than to have as many of you with us as possible to help celebrate this momentous occasion. The show is from 8:30 to 11:00 p.m. For more info, click HERE!!

We’ve got several hot shows coming down the line, so here’s rundown of what to expect from Los Possums in the coming weeks and into the fall:

We’re also happy to report that the Possums, along with several special guests, rocked out some Rolling Stones classics at Dave Brewer’s Exile On King Street benefit. All told, the two-night event raised more than $1700 for High Country charities!!

That’s about it for this Possum update. We’re stoked about our upcoming run of shows and hope you’ll join us. If it’s not too much trouble, you should bring some friends. Lots of them.

Buenos dias lovers of the Possum,
We hope you’ve all been applying sunscreen liberally and enjoying the sweet summer time. This Saturday, we’re going to celebrate summer properly with our third annual appearance at Winston-Salem’s Summer On Trade!!!

And we’ve got several more exciting shows happening in the fall, so stay tuned for more info as these stories develop. Thanks for your continued love and support. Y’all are making our tenth year one of the best so far!!

We’ve got good news! After a couple of weeks at ease, we’re snapping to attention and bringing you FOUR WEEKENDS IN A ROW of LIVE POSSUM ACTION!!!!

-That’s right friends. The never-ending Possum Jenkins World Tour rolls on this Friday, February 22, when we return to in Lexington, NC’s High Rock Outfitters!! We’ll be joining forces with our good friends and esteemed colleagues, The Deluge, to deliver a long night of kick ass local country, rock n’ soul in one of the area’s most outstanding listening rooms. Show start’s at 9:00 p.m. Be there!!

-Next Friday, March 1, Los Possums will once again return to the motherland when they journey to the big town of Boone and the always friendly confines of Boone Saloon. Charlotte-based alt. country band Pullman Strike will open. Show starts at 10 p.m.

-On Friday, March 8, Possum Jenkins will celebrate our 9th birthday at The Garage in Winston-Salem. Salisbury-based outfit The Throttle Kings (featuring former Delta Drift drummer Jimbo Martin) opens. Come help us remember why we’ve been putting up with each other for nearly a decade. Show starts at 9:00 p.m.

-On Saturday, March 9, Possum Jenkins will head east to the lovely town of Hillsborough, NC, where we’ll make our debut performance at The Depot at Hillsborough Station. If you’re in or near the vicinity of the Triangle, head on over and help us pack the joint! Show starts at 8:30 p.m.

-Possum Jenkins will sport our fanciest green garb on Sautrday, March 16, as we convene at the Old Winston Social Club for St. Paddy’s festivities. We’ll start getting rowdy at 9:30 p.m. Won’t you join us? Don’t worry, you can still watch the NCAA Tournament and enjoy Possum at the same time.

More shows are in the works, including our first appearance at Charlotte’s Snug Harbor, a return to Asheville’s Highland Brewing Co. and hopefully some outdoor spring and summer shows. Stay tuned for details.

In other exciting news, we’re proud to inform you that several live Possum Jenkins shows are available in their entirety via live music sharing site Archive.org. Just click HERE and you can download a handful of complete Possum Jenkins shows FOR FREE (including our recent acoustic Greensboro house concert). We allow and encourage the free trading of our live shows, so please feel free to enjoy these shows and pass them along if you are so moved.

Whew. That’s a lot of information. Pat yourself on the back if you read this far. In fact, if you’re actually still reading and you come to this Friday’s show in Lexington, Dave Brewer will buy you a PBR if you mention this paragraph. Honest.

It is with great sadness and impending doom that we send this last email from Possum Headquarters before the earth comes to a horrific end this Friday. It’s been swell knowing all of you and we can’t thank you enough for your support over the years. Seriously, you’ve been wonderful.

So stop wrapping presents, blow off the rest of your holiday shopping and forget about those dirty dishes and piles of laundry while you’re at it. You need to live these last precious moments on earth to the fullest. More specifically, you need to come shake your ass at High Rock Outfitters in Lexington TONIGHT, December 20! The show starts at 9:30 p.m., and we’re the only band on the bill, so come on down, eat some barbeque and see what the buzz is about at High Rock Outfitters.

And, after having tearful goodbyes with family members and perhaps the odd co-worker, you need to head to The Garage in Winston-Salem on Friday, December 21, for Possum Jenkins’ End of Days Bash, or as Brewer is referring to it, the A-Possum-calypse.

(DISCLAIMER: If, for some strange reason, The Garage is not engulfed in a large fireball or somehow hoovered off the face of the planet, we WILL NOT be offering refunds at the door.)

Because none of us can really be sure what’s going to happen tomorrow, Possum Jenkins decided to book a gig for New Year’s Eve at the one and only Boone Saloon. We’re calling it our New Year’s Eve Champagne Jam, and our very good friends The Worthless Son-In-Laws will be opening. It’s probably going to get rowdy. Especially if Rob Brown has anything to do with it.

Happy Almost-Turkey-Day, Possum lovers!Things are humming here at Possum Central in preparation for this week’s annual post-Thanksgiving show at Ziggy’s in Winston-Salem. We’ve got a brand spanking new run of Possum t-shirts rolling hot off the screen printer just in time for the show (American Apparel, in case you were wondering). Whilst stuffing ourselves repeatedly this week, we’ll be patching together the set list in between football-induced naps. If there is something you’re dying to hear, click over to our Facebook page and let us know. We’re not making any promises or anything, but one never knows…

We should mention that our good friends The Deluge will be opening the show, so don’t sit around gnawing on turkey legs for too long or you’ll miss one of the best bands in the Triad.

We’re finishing 2012 out strong with several big shows and we hope that you’ll make some time during the holidays to come get your Possum on. Keep reading to see if we’ll be in your neck of the woods.

Looking ahead to 2013, the Possum train will roll on with plenty of shows around the Old North State and beyond. We’ve come to realize over the years that perhaps a bar/club/venue isn’t always the most ideal setting to hear our music (too late, too loud, too gross…). If you think you might be interested in hosting an intimate, acoustic house concert performance with Possum Jenkins, we’d like to hear from you. Email us at thepossumjenkinsband@yahoo.com for more information.
That’s about it y’all. Hopefully we’ll see lots of you this Friday night in the Twin Cities!!

After a pause for the cause, your favorite marsupials return to action next week with shows in Charlotte and Asheville (see below for details). Also, we’ve got multiple shows on the horizon in for our hometown crowd in Winston-Salem, as well as a special announcement about New Year’s Eve!!

Before we proceed, the Possum family would like to send out congratulations to Jared and Katherine Church on the birth of their daughter, Carson Margret!! The Church family is well and extremely excited to be venturing into parenthood. No word on how Boone, their beloved coon hound, is handling no longer being the center of attention.

This Thursday, October 25, Possum Jenkins will return to Charlotte for our first-ever headlining slot at the fabulous Visulite Theatre. Joining us will be rising Michigan band The Ragbirds. Our apologies for this being a bit last minute, but we could really use all of your support on this one. Facebookers, please help us spread the word by sharing our event page.

This Saturday, October 27, Los Possums will make a long-awaited return to the great city of Asheville when we play an early show (6:00 to 8:00 p.m.) at Highlands Brewing!! Come enjoy pints and Possum at one of North Carolina’s most successful breweries.

We’ve also have a trio of holiday shows coming up faster than we’d care to admit. On Friday, November 23, we’ll play our umpteenth post-Thanksgiving show in Winston-Salem by headlining Ziggy’s. Our friends The Deluge are opening. On Friday, December 21, we’ll keep your holiday spirits high with our apocalyptic End-of-Days show at The Garage. And last, but not least, we’ll be RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR AT BOONE SALOON!!!

Ladies and gents, a special round of applause also goes out this week to Possum’s own Davo “Don’t Call Me Col. Sanders” Willis for being a finalist in Our State Magazine’s inaugural North Carolina songwriting competition (songs about NC, that is). Davo’s song “A Toast” from PJ’s most recent release, Carolinacana, landed among the 20 tunes being considered. While “A Toast” didn’t take home top honors, we still think both the song and Davo kicks ass. If you haven’t seen/heard the Davo-led Wurlitzer Prize (featuring Molly McGinn, as well as Jared Church, Nathan Turner and Brent Buckner of Possum Jenkins infamy), well…what the hell are you doing with your life?

Alright boys and girls. Time to check the oil and vacuum out the van. Let’s talk about shows:

Our Grand Prize Winner will receive the party, tickets and prize pack. Runner-Up will receive tickets and a care package. Third place will receive a pair of tickets to this Saturday’s show.

1. What kick-ass North Carolina band did Possum Jenkins open for at Ziggy’s on New Years Eve 2005?2. Who was the final band to headline the old Ziggy’s?3. What two dessert items were (and still are) frequently launched from the Ziggy’s stage during Southern Culture On The Skids concerts?

In addition to the contest, we’d like for you to help us make the set list for this Saturday’s show by clicking over to our Facebook page. Name the two Possum Jenkins songs that you’d most like to hear at the show. We’ll tally the votes and rock out as many as we have time for. Even if you aren’t going to make it to the show, we’d love to hear what your picks are.

Once again, please help us spread the word about the contest and this Saturday’s show by sharing our Facebook event or forwarding this email to a music lover you know. Thanks bunches!!